Gravity type rolling ball game device



1950 w. J. SANDERS GRAVITY TYPE ROLLING BALL GAME DEVICE Sept. 12,

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 18, 1944 Sept. 12, 1950 w. J. SANDERS 2,522,133

GRAVITY TYPE ROLLING BALL GAME DEVICE Filed May 18, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 12, 1956 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GRAVITY TYPE ROLLING BALL GAME DEVICE Walter a. Sanders, Chicago, in.

ApplicationM'ay 18, 1944, Serial! No. 536101 My invention relates to toys wherein a plurality of marbles or balls are adapted "to he doposited upon one of a plurality of oppositely inclined channels or chutes and to run down the same in opposite directions in zigzag fashion "to be deposited into an elevator or receptacle for the amusement and entertainment, particularly of children.

The invention, also, comprehends a toy "of the class described which will he instructive as Well as hold the interest of person or child operating the same, and in which the marbles or balls may be deposited at different points upon one or more inclined chutes, as the starting point, and

in which there is provided anelevator-forrecel-ving the marbles at the end of travel thereof and discharge from the lowermost chute, and forraising the same to an upper level for automatic dischargei-nto one of thechutes at or near the top of the elevator shaft to he later caught inthe elem 'vator at the bottom when lowered, or for deposit into a trough, so that interesting games may be played and a score kept hymarking or identitying the marbles of different players, depending upon the number 'of marbles of which player is s deposited into 'the el'evatorpor the trough, or merely for amusement and instruction in the operation thereof.

The invention, also, comprehends and has for its object to providemeans whereby should any 5 "of the marbles pass or become located beneath the elevator, they will not interfere with the upon the elevator being raised, will automaticah 'ly discharge the marbles: in the receptacle'or elevatorta'nd deposit the same uponone of the chutes to traverse the tortuous path provided 'thereby ior discharge at the bottom, :either into the elevator by lowering the :same, or beneath the elevator and.

.into a trough or tray provided. at sushi-point.

The invention, also, embraces an elevator having a pivoted :counterweighted."trapdoor spaced :fromthe. bottom of the el'evatorzzand normally porestrarn the-discharge "oithe marbles therefrom.

i i 2 discharge opening and to automatically trip the door upon raising the elevator to an upward limit or position to cause discharge of the marbles onto one ofthe chutes.

It is, also, an object toprovide means whereby the elevator may be readily placed in position or removed and, also, held free of the hands in a raisedposition, and to construct the toy, frame and other parts thereof, including the ohutesfin a novel manner to facilitate quantity production and accuracy of assemblage or interfltting engagement of the parts and provide .tor simple manufacture and mounting for the chutes in posc on; well. as" to prevent jamming of the marbles and obstruction of the chutes, particularly ,at points at the ends thereof where the 3 marbles pass from one chute to another oppositely inclined directions, and, also, to provide. a

strong and durable construction which will withstand comparatively rough usage. v Further objects and advantages willappearand be broughtout more fully in the following s ecificatiqn, reference being had to the accompanyingdr awings; which:

.F ig. 1 ;is;a:side elevation of a toy embodying my invention.

.Eig. izis a vertical section, taken on the section line 2- 2 of Fig.1.

31s :a horizontal section, .taflcen-on the sec- .tion :l-in'e '3--3. fl I Fig. A lis a vertical section, taken on the line 4- 4.01". Fig. 1.

' Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical secltion showing the-elevator raised in-its shaft or runway and thetrapdoor in position todischa-rge 1 the marbles-thereirom.

Fig. 6 is a View similar to Fig. 5 lout taken at *theilower portion-of the elevator shait and showing the trapdoor oi the-elevator in positionto Fig. 7 =is=a top planviewoi the toy.

Fig. dis-amend elevation JOOlci-Ilg at the end remoteirom the elevator.-

- Fig. "9. is an end elevation, looking at the end adiacent the elevator.

. Riga-1'0 isa sectional "view, taleen on line ill-50 of Fig.3, .as seen in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 1 1 is :a view similar to Fig. 10, buttaken on thelline l .l--.i. i .of Fig.3, with the chutes removed.

.Fig. 12 a :plan view showing two oppositely z-irxclin'ed cooperating chutes on an enlarged scale. :Eig. 1231s a plan view of :one of the end chutes, vFig. leis an enlargeditransversesectionof one of 1 sltionedito prevent the escape theneofaby'closmga satire chutes, taken. at an intermediate point, and

Fig. 15 is a, horizontal section on the line l5--l5 of Fig. 1.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the toy or toy game is shown as embodying a rectangular frame made up of strips of wood or other suitable material, preferably taken from stock, and having a base strip i and a parallel horizontal top strip ll connected by spaced uprightsor strips I2 and I 3, the former of which may be spaced from one end of the frame, and the ends of the top and bottom strips I0 and II, and the strip I3 is near the other end. Any suitable joints maybe provided between the upper and lower ends of the vertical strips 12 and I3, and the top and bottom strips It and H, but as shown, mortise and tenon joints M are provided with the opposed lower and upper faces of the top and bottom strips respectively, recessed to receive the ends of the upright or vertical strips so as to positively and accurately locate the latter and facilitate assemblage of the frame.

Additional fastening means l5 may be provided to secure the members or strips of the frame together, or they may be glued instead, or supplementary thereto.

With the strip [2 spaced from one end of the frame and strip l3 near the other end, these strips support oppositely inclined channels or chutes l8 and I! which are fastened or nailed thereto at their ends, by means of side flanges or outturned oppositely directed portions, as at 18. Slots 19 arranged obliquely in the uprights I2 and I3 are adapted to receive the ends 20 of the v webs of the channels or chutes, the web portions or bottoms of the chutes being designated at 2|.

The chutes have side flanges 22 bent in the same direction substantially parallel to each other with bent-over portions 23 to provide rounding edges which prevent injury or cuttin by contact therewith from handling. All of the slots l9 are inclined, the inclination being in opposite directions at the opposite ends of the chutes in the respective upright strips l2 and I3, and being merely sawed or cut into the strips for a portion of the thickness of each, except the uppermost and lowermost slots which are disposed horizontally to receive the projecting ends 20 of the web portions 2| of the top and bottom chutes. These chutes may be made of sheet metal, such as tin, or of plastic or other suitable material, and thus, may be readily secured after I being cut and bentor shaped, or produced from blanks first cut and then shaped, or even molded into form.

The flanges on the intermediate chutes extend of the web portions or bottoms of the chutes are supported in transverse slots I9 in the uprights I2 and I3, which slots are oppositely inclined in the respective uprights. By this arrangement, each of the several chutes are inclined laterally in one direction at one end thereof and gradually twisted to incline laterally in the opposite direction at the other ends. This will cause the lower end of each chute to incline laterally toward the adjacent end of the next lower chute in order, so as to discharge the balls laterally into the upper end of the latter. Each chute is therefore inclined outwardly at its upper end and inwardly inclined at its lower end.

The purpose of this is to cause the marbles or balls designated at 24 to pass from the lower end of one chute onto the upper end of the next chute therebeneath, but specifically at one side thereof through openings 25 provided "by cutouts 26 at the corresponding or'adjacent ends of the chutes at the flanges thereof, except at the uppermost and lowermost ends of the uppermost and lowermost chutes respectively, where the slots l9 are horizontally arranged as heretofore described.

By cutting away the chutes It and I! on the inner sides or flanges thereof, the balls 24 when deposited upon one of the chutes will run from an upper chute into a lower chute, due to the lat- .eral inclination thereof and will prevent jamming of the balls and obstruction of the chutes thereby at the ends where the turns or reverse travels in direction are made.

' The upright strips l2 and it, also, form abutment members at their inner faces to take the impact of the balls rolling down the chutes at the opposite ends thereof, where the changes in direction or turns are made, and since the balls tend to move inwardly on the chutes, they may be deflected angularly toward the next chute, but the impact may cause rebound so that the balls may be deflected by those following. Some cushioning action results, but the shock is incidental and the sounds of the balls rolling down the chutes and striking the strips at the ends thereof is indicative of the operation of the device and serves 'to attract attention and hold the same, as well as to amuse and instruct, consciously or otherwise.

An elongated slot or hole 21 is provided in the top strip ll over the uppermost chute which is centrally disposed at the adjacent end under the correspondingly located hole for depositing the balls at this point onto the uppermost chute to travel down the remaining chutes past an inclined opening 28 provided in the strip 12 at or lower end of one of the lower chutes, specifically the third from the top, to form a shoulder 29. The opening 28 may be arranged at any suitable point depending upon the elevation of the elevator, as will be later described, and inclines from the outer to the inner face of the strip 12 toward the chutes. At the lower end of the lowest chute, a discharge hole 30 is provided through the strip i2 and the extended end of the web portion 20 of the chute at this point which extends into the slot l9 horizontally located at such point, may extend partially into the opening or 5 hole 30 at such point, but inclined toward the outer face of the strip l2 at the bottom of the hole to discharge the balls 24 from the runway I formed by the chutes or channels [6 and I1.

This end of the lower chute I6 is, also, centrally located, as is the hole 30, and the chute end and web portion are fastened in position in the same manner as the upper end of the uppermost chute or section of the runway. The shoulder 29 prevents the balls from passing into the opening 28, but since the latter is inclined inwardly, such action is unlikely to happen.

An elevator or receptacle 3| is adapted to slide up and down in a vertical guideway or elevator shaft between the top and bottom strips I0 and I] and between the vertical strip 12 and side strips 32 arranged vertically between the strip m dias held at its lower "end within a cross-strip :3'4, and

at its upper end by a turn button 35, which may ciin'ed bottom surface, as-at 31, which serves to discharge any balls dropped thereon rromab'ove. From the inclined surface 31, the balls are directed through an opening 39 into a tray, as hereinafter described.

This may be accomplished in any suitable way,

such as by a block or strip 39 positioned beneath and secured to the opposite end portion of the base strip Hi, so that the latter may be of uniform stock material. The vertical strips l2 and it are preferably slightly narrower than the top and bottom strips in and ii to project outwardly therefrom, so that the trough maybe formed by side strips 4!) placed longitudinally and substantially horizontally on edge on the projecting portions of the base strip, and secured to the upright strips.

Theslde strips 45 may have cut away portions 4! to tacilit'ate access to and removal of the balls .24 lfrom the trough or tray formed therebywith the strips l2 and I3 and the base strip it The receptacle or elevator 3! has an outer wall 42 and side walls 43, the upper ends of which have reduced portions 44 connected by a bail 45, in the form of a pin or bolt through the reduced portions 44 of the side walls 43 for attachment of a cord or other flexible connection at.

This cord passes through an aperture 41 in the top strip H centrally over the elevator shaft and has a loop 48 between its ends or at its free end to anchor to a pin 49 to hold the elevator at the top against a stop 56 which carries the turnbutton 35. This stop is in the form of a strip or block secured beneath the top strip l0, and the side strips 32 are secured at their upper and lower ends to the strip 50, and the inclined portion or strip ll! respectively, at the sides thereof, the side strips 4!] being recessed to accommodate the lower ends of the strips 32.

The stop 55 engages the upper end of the elevator at the reduced upper end portions 44 thereof, when the elevator is raised, to limit the upward movement and prevent the same from passing beyond an operative point or elevation for discharge of the balls through the opening or slot 28, as will now be described.

The bottom of the elevator or receptacle 3| has a trapdoor i pivoted at 52 and held in its normal position by a counterweight 53 against stop pins 54 at the inner faces of the sides 43, or otherwise disposed across the space therebetween, to close the opening at the front end thereof formed beneath a transverse vertical partition 55 at the inner edge or side of the elevator and between said partition and the trapdoor beneath the partition to keep the balls in the elevator or receptacle and preclude the escape thereof until the trapdoor has shifted from its normally outwardly and rearwardly inclined position, shown in Fig. 6, to a forwardly or inwardly inclined position, as shown in Fig. 5.

The partition 55 has a vertical groove 56 at its inner face designed to pass a stop pin 51 when the receptacle is raised, so that the latter-Will engage anotchedend '58 at'the fro'nt'of the-trapdoor and force the latter downwardly against sttip-pins 55, similar-'to "stop pins 54, but position'ed nearthe inner side or irront or "the elevator between'the sides is beneath the trapdoor to-limit the downward movement or the latter in discharge position, as shown in'Fig. 5, so that the balls will roll through the opening 28' onto a chute and proceed downwardly on the remain ing lower chutes.

The stop pins 54 and 59, or other limiting means for the trapdoor are spaced from the bottom of the elevator or receptacle provided between the side walls 43 and the outer wall 42 so that should any of the balls pass beneath "the trapdoonthey will not "interfere with the lowering 'of the elevator or strike the trapdoor, since they will roll down the inclined strip'or portion 37 at the bottom or the elevator "shaft and 'throu'gli the opening 38 onto the base strip Ill in the trough or tray provided between the strips l2 and 13 forming the upright or vertical members, and the side strips or rails 40.

The inner side of the elevator is openexcept for the trapdoor and the partition 55, the space between which is restricted when the trapdoor is in retaining position, to a space narrower than the diameter of a ball so that the latter cannot pass, but will be deflected rearwardly when held inth-is position by the counterweight 53. the trapdoor is inclined in the-opposits direction, such-space is wider than the balls so that the latter may freely run out of the elevator and be discharged through the opening 28.

When the stop pin 51 is engaged by the trapdoor at its front edge beneath the partition 55, such as at the notch or recess 58, it will lower the trapdoor at the front end so that it is inclined in the opposite direction to discharge the balls in the receptacle or elevator through the hole or opening 28 and onto the chute.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a toy by which a plurality of balls may be deposited upon one or more of a plurality of op positely inclined channels or chutes constituting oppositely inclined runways and that the balls, when so deposited, will be discharged at the bottom after traveling a zigzag or tortuous path. In other words, the balls may be deposited manually at the top, or automatically by raising the elevator, and that the elevator may be held upwardly or lowered, so that the balls will be discharged from the lower chute into the bottom of the elevator shaft to run into the trough, or into the elevator in position to be again raised and emptied 0r dumped.

The base strip l0 forming the bottom of the tray or trough may be provided with recesses 60 marked with score values, as at El, and in which the balls 24 may come to rest to provide a scoring means for proponents operating and playing the toy-game.

The device is capable of economical production in quantities and may be quickly assembled or repaired, as by replacement of parts, ii the same should be damaged, although it will withstand considerable rough usage. It will hold the attention and inter-est of the person or persons using the same, especially children and is both amusing and instructive.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variaagendas 'tion and 'inodification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desirento avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patcut is:

1. In a toy, a frame having an inclined runway and openings for discharging balls onto .the runway, an elevator shaft secured to and extending vertically at one end of the frame,

an elevator movable in said shaft and having a trapdoor normally held in a position to retain balls in the elevator, said elevator having means .to receive the balls discharged from the runway,

a stop pin on said elevator shaft, said pin being engageable by and effective to move the trapdoor to discharge the balls when the elevator is raised, a base strip included as a part ofsaid frame and having a portion at the bottom of said elevator shaft formed with a groove to receive the balls at the foot of the shaft when the elevator is raised to an upper portion of said shaft, 5

and side stripsincluded in said frame on opposite sides of the remainder of said base strip and cooperating therewith to provide a tray communicating with said groove and adapted to receive balls therefrom.

2. A toy comprising a frame having oppositely inclined chutes and a tray at the bottom, an elevator shaft arranged adjacent to said chutes and secured to the frame, said frame having an opening for discharging balls onto certain of the chutes and another opening for discharging balls from the chutes, an elevator movable in the shaft and having a trapdoor near the bottom, said bottom being normally held in a position to retain the balls in the elevator, and a stop pin carried by said elevator shaft and projecting into the path of movement of said elevator, said stop pin being operable by engagement with said trapdoor to automatically move the trapdoor to an inclined position to discharge balls through the first mentioned opening when the elevator is raised.

WALTER J. SANDERS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in tn file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Lia 

